flan

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /flæn/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /flɑn/
• Rhymes: -æn, -ɑːn

[1846] Borrowed from French flan (“cheesecake, custard tart, flan”), from Old French flaon (> Middle English flaon, flaun (“pie; cake”)), from Late Latin fladō (“flat cake”), from Frankish flado, flatho (“flat cake”), from Proto-Germanic *flaþô (“flat cake”), from Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₂t- (“broad, flat”), from Proto-Indo-European *pelh₂- (“to spread out, be broad, be flat”). Akin to Old High German flado (“flat cake, offering cake”). More at flathe. The word has largely displaced its doublets flathe and flawn.

A savory flan (non-dessert)

A flan (custard dessert) from India

flan (plural flans)

1. (Britain, US) Baked tart with sweet or savoury filling in an open-topped pastry case. (Compare quiche.)
   • 2004, Shawn Blore, ‎Alexandra de Vries, Frommer's Brazil →ISBN, page 175:

     The menu includes a number of excellent fish dishes such as the […] broccoli flan.

2. (US, Belize) A dessert of congealed custard, often topped with caramel, especially popular in Spanish-speaking countries.
3. (numismatics) A coin die

• (dessert): crème caramel

• flathe
• flathon
• flawn

• custard

English, from a slip of the tongue by actor Nathan Fillion.

flan (plural flans)

1. (informal) A fan of U.S. TV series Firefly; a Browncoat.
   • 2005 January 29, P. Burrows, “Re: Name for Lost fans?”, in rec.arts.sf.tv, Usenet‎:

     (some) Firefly flans call themselves Browncoats (Remember, the hot movie from Universal is out this September! :)

   • 2006 June 18, Geoff Aldrich, “Re: SciFi promotion [Was Firefly fans skew older?]”, in alt.tv.firefly, Usenet‎:

     For what it's worth, I'm 27 and am a huge Firefly/Serenity flan.

   • 2007 January 21, Tal, “Re: Nude Jewel Staite? Close enough.”, in alt.tv.firefly, Usenet‎:

     I'm glad this wasn't the first flan group I came across or I would never have realised the great nature of the majority of browncoasts.^[sic]

   • For more examples of usage of this term, see Citations:flan.

• Nathan Fillion interview at an In Good Company premiere, 28 December 2004 (IESB.net video) (Wikiquote transcription)

From Old French flaon, from Late Latin fladonem, accusative of flado (“flat cake”), from Frankish *flado (“flat cake”), from Proto-Germanic *flaþô (“flat, broad”), from Proto-Indo-European *plat-, *pla- (“flat, broad”), from Proto-Indo-European *pele- (“to spread out, broad, flat”). Akin to Old High German flado (“flat cake, offering cake”) (German Fladen), Dutch vla (“baked custard”).

• IPA^(key): /flɑ̃/

flan m (plural flans)

1. baked custard tart
2. coin die

• “flan” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

flan

1. Alternative form of flon

From Proto-Germanic *flainaz (“hook, spear with a tip”), from Proto-Indo-European *pleyn- (“metal arrow, hook, spear-head”). Akin to Old Norse fleinn (“hook, barbed weapon, javelin, arrow”).

• IPA^(key): /flɑːn/

flān m or f

1. a barb
2. a javelin
3. an arrow; dart

   Hie ða fromlice leton forð fleogan flana scuras. Then they promptly let fly showers of arrows. (Judith)

(when masculine)

(when feminine)

• flā

• Middle English: flon, ffloon, flone, flan
  • English: flone
  • Scots: flane, flain

From French flan, from Frankish *flado.

• IPA^(key): /flan/

flan m (plural flanes)

1. flan, sweet pudding

• flancito (diminutive)